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Any effort by the European Central Bank to launch a massive quantitative easing programme this year would fail to revive the eurozone economy, according to economists polled in a Financial Times survey.

The FT survey of 32 eurozone economists, mainly working in the financial sector, conducted in mid-December, found most expected the ECB to launch QE in 2015 — catching up with the world’s other main central banks that have all bought large quantities of sovereign debt since the last financial crisis.

Twenty-six economists forecast the central bank would start purchasing government bonds this year, while five thought it would not. One did not respond to the question.

A stuttering recovery and a worrying drop in inflation have raised fears of another financial crisis in the currency bloc and put pressure on policy makers to cast aside powerful opposition from Germany and begin purchasing sovereign debt.

ECB president Mario Draghi last week gave his strongest signal yet that the central bank would extend its asset purchases to include sovereign debt in the next few months. A decision could come as early as the next governing council meeting on January 22.